BAHAWALPUR: A youth was abducted, illegally detained and tortured on allegations of mobile phone theft by men who presented themselves as police in Fort Abbas.

Ali Raza, a resident of Aqib Town, was abducted from his salon by the individuals posing as police officials. They held him captive at an unknown place, stripped him naked, tortured him on his private parts before setting him free.

In response to social media posts, the Fort Abbas Police filed a case under minor sections and applied sections 354 and 342 (wrongful restraint and molestation) instead of Section 367 (abduction and torture).

The DPO’s spokesperson stated the sections were entirely correct based on the text of the FIR.

FAKE NGO: The district health authority unearthed a network in Bahawalnagar that was scamming naive people by creating fraudulent health clinics across the district in the name of a bogus NGO and collecting money by issuing health cards.

The FIR, registered on the complaint of DHO Dr Safiullah with the B Division Police, stated that one Saifullah had set up an NGO under the name ‘Green Health Organisation’ without obtaining permission from the healthcare commission or securing an NOC or authorisation from the district administration. It alleged that under the pretense of providing free drugs, innocent citizens were charged Rs1,500 each for the issuance of health cards. In response to public complaints, a health team stormed the NGO office at Sarwar Chowk on Haroonabad Road and took medications, pamphlets and other documents by closing down the dispensary.

Health CEO Dr Shaukat Ali told Dawn the man, who had barely completed matriculation, had been involved in the crime for around eight months and had founded the NGO. A few months ago, the suspect had submitted an application to the Bahawalnagar DC, posing as the NGO’s CEO and using fake official letters, seeking permission to open the organisation’s offices throughout the district.

He claimed that despite the application being denied, he continued to operate without authorisation.

Mr Ali said the suspect had established four centres under the cover of the NGO and hired dozens of individuals whose duty was to travel to villages and towns to collect money from the public in the name of health cards.

During the raid, approximately 100 fake health cards and numerous brochures were seized from the suspect who was handed over to police.

Published in Dawn, July 20th, 2026